Marietta family begins scholarship
From the Office of the Counselor
by Brenda Breth
February 06, 2010
The family of Lora Marietta has begun a scholarship in her name for the purpose of promoting ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps).
Lora graduated from DCHS as Co-Valedictorian in 2006. In high school, she was active in music and sports, and she excelled in power lifting and was a world-class lifter. She continued her strong academic record at Kansas State University with a cumulative 3.84 GPA in her senior year.
She was a member of the K-State ROTC battalion and was awarded the rank of Cadet Lieutenant Colonel and Battalion Commander. Lora was a graduate of the US Army Airborne School and was a Level IV Combative instructor. She was also named Distinguished Military Student at K-State and Distinguished Military Graduate for US Army Cadet Command. She was ranked 25th out of 4,783 nationwide 2010 graduating ROTC cadets.
Lora had also completed the Baton Death March marathon at White Sands, New Mexico, and had been a member of the K-State Ranger Challenge team that placed fifth in the nation.
Lora found ROTC to be stimulating and challenging, offering a great number of opportunities for a career. The Marietta family hopes the recipient of this scholarship will also find ROTC rewarding.
To be eligible for the Lora Marietta Memorial ROTC Scholarship, a student must be in good standing, have a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or better, and complete the ROTC course. First preference will be given to an Army ROTC student at Kansas State University. Second preference will be given to an Air Force ROTC student at Kansas State. The next preference will be an ROTC student at any college.
Reserve Officers' Training Corps, which began in 1916 under President Woodrow Wilson, provides leadership and military training at schools and universities across the country and has commissioned more than a half million officers. It is the largest commissioning source in the United States military.
Is enrolling in Army ROTC the same as joining the Army? Once a student starts taking ROTC courses, is he/she obligated to join the Army?
According to the ROTC website, enrolling in Army ROTC is not "joining the Army." However, the primary purpose of the Army ROTC program is to produce its officers, so young adults must agree to serve as officers in the Army after graduation in order to go through the entire program, or if they have received an ROTC scholarship.
Enrolling in the ROTC Basic Course the first two years of college does NOT involve a commitment of service to the Army unless you have received an ROTC scholarship from the army or other branch of the military.
ROTC is one of the best leadership courses in the country and is part of many college curriculums. During classes, leadership labs, physical training and field training exercises, you will learn firsthand what it takes to lead others, motivate groups and conduct missions as an officer in the Army. Taking this course is the requirement for the Lora Marietta Memorial scholarship.
More than 40 percent of current active duty military officers were commissioned through ROTC. Army ROTC Alumni include Colin Powell, former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; George C. Marshall, former Chief of Staff of the Army; Samuel Alito, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court; Samuel Walton, founder of Walmart; Lenny Wilkens, most wins as NBA coach.
Army ROTC alumni also include Lora’s father, Alan, and her sister and brother-in-law, Travis and Leah Carreno. At graduation in May, Lora would have been commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army.
